Kakashi did have responsibility. He thought it was just a small matter and that with him there, he could solve all problems.
Therefore, rashly continuing the mission was a dereliction of duty for him as the squad leader.
If he had been more cautious and chosen to return to the Village to let the Hokage rearrange things, perhaps it wouldn't have been so dangerous.
Of course, if you follow the conspiracy theory, there might have been Sarutobi Hiruzen's calculations involved, perhaps Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to take action against Gato, or had some intentions towards the Land of Waves, then just ignore what Natsuki said.
However, Naruto didn't learn his lesson and was still unconvinced: "But, but we completed the mission, and we're fine..."
"Fine? Naruto, do you want to hear what you're saying?"
Natsuki narrowed his eyes and stared at Naruto, "Actually, didn't Sasuke die once? Weren't you very desperate then? Wasn't Sakura very pained at that time? Haven't you tasted the feeling of losing a comrade?"
Naruto's and Sakura's pupils contracted.
Yes, Sasuke died once at that time, he even stopped breathing!
Naruto was incredibly helpless and desperate at that time, even releasing the Nine-Tails Chakra, while Sakura cried heartbrokenly. How could they forget?
How could they still proudly say they completed the mission excellently?
Sasuke said stubbornly: "Didn't I not die?"
Natsuki was so angry he laughed: "Did you not die? That was because the boy named Bai was kind and didn't kill you! So, did you complete the mission by relying on the enemy's benevolence and kindness? Is this what you call completing the mission excellently?"
Now, Team Seven was completely silent.
Kakashi looked at his three dejected students and shook his head helplessly.
Truthfully, Natsuki's point was correct. This Land of Waves mission was not something to be proud of; instead, they should deeply reflect on it.
If it weren't for the kind heart of the boy named Bai, who didn't deliver the killing blow, then Team Seven would have brought back Sasuke's corpse. Could they still smile then?
Natsuki summarized: "Naruto, you are reckless and rash, your strength is insufficient and you're not composed enough. Sasuke, you easily become complacent, thinking you're invincible with just a little progress. Sakura, what were you doing the whole time? What role did you play in the mission? Therefore, if I were to evaluate this Land of Waves mission, it could only be a failure!"
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura lowered their eyes, not refuting.
Even the idiot Naruto wasn't incapable of thinking and could understand whether what Natsuki said was right or wrong.
But precisely because they understood, they felt so lost, and were even more ashamed of their previous complacency. What excellent completion of a B-rank mission? This was clearly a disgrace!
Seeing this, Natsuki apologized to Kakashi: "Sorry, Kakashi-senpai, did I speak too harshly?"
Kakashi waved his hand: "It's fine, it's fine. What you said makes a lot of sense. These kids are indeed getting a bit carried away. Your words are just right to make them reflect properly."
Hearing this, Natsuki didn't say anything more.
He just couldn't stand Naruto's smug look, so he had to strike him down.
To be honest, in the early part of the original story, Naruto was really quite useless, loved to boast, was unreliable, rash, and easily messed things up. Only his talk-no-jutsu was useful; his other performances were unbearable to watch.
If you don't scold him a bit, he'll think he's excellent and become complacent, completely failing to learn lessons.
Therefore, Natsuki vented his frustrations this time, and he felt completely relaxed.
At this moment, Naruto's voice was tinged with grievance: "Kakashi-sensei, did we perform very poorly?"
Sasuke and Sakura both looked at Kakashi, wanting to get their teacher's answer. Even though they understood that what Natsuki said was right, they still wanted to hear their teacher's opinion.
Kakashi scratched his head: "Well, you still have room to grow."
In other words, Teacher also agreed with Natsuki's words!
For a moment, the atmosphere of Team Seven became even more somber.
However, Sasuke suddenly broke the silence: "Natsuki, fight me."
"Huh? You want to fight me?"
Natsuki was very surprised. He thought Sasuke was going to say something else, not expecting him to choose a fight. But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Sasuke wouldn't just talk nonsense like Naruto; he preferred to prove himself through action.
That's why Naruto could never convince Sasuke; because in the early stages, Naruto really couldn't beat Sasuke.
It's useless to say more if you can't win!
Sasuke looked Natsuki directly in the eye and said, "Maybe you're right, but just talking reason is useless, you need to show real skill. I lost to you in the last battle before graduation, and now I'm going to win it back, to prove that I'm stronger than you, to prove that what you say doesn't apply to me!"
Very good, this is very Sasuke.
Maybe I can't out-reason you, but as long as I'm stronger than you, I am reason...
As long as I'm strong enough, whether or not I do the Land of Waves mission is up to me, not for others to evaluate.
Natsuki understood Sasuke's meaning, smiled and agreed: "Alright, then let's have a fight. It just so happens that I have some things I want to ask Kakashi-senpai about, so let's do it together."
Kakashi was startled, knowing that Natsuki probably wanted to ask about Hatake Swordmanship, and didn't refuse.
"Alright, I'll be the referee. Let's go to the training ground."
Then, the several people went to the training ground together, Sasuke and Natsuki faced each other and formed the Confrontation Seal, waiting for Kakashi to give the command.
"Begin!"
Sasuke immediately took action, throwing several Kunai at Natsuki.
Natsuki casually dodged to the side, but saw Sasuke throw Shuriken again, which collided with the Kunai, and then all curved towards Natsuki.
"Nice! Sasuke-kun is amazing!" Sakura couldn't help but praise.
"..." Tenten didn't think there was anything amazing about it, wasn't it just Ninja Tools throwing?
Natsuki even stood still, suddenly reached out his hands quickly, grabbed all the Kunai and Shuriken, and then silently put them into his Ninja Tools pouch.
Since I accepted the challenge, there's no problem with me taking a bit of interest, right?
However, he also said: "Sasuke, I know the Uchiha's throwing technique is very powerful, but attacks like yours won't work. You should show some real skill. For example, activate your Sharingan?" 1.4
Sasuke took a deep breath, red light appeared in his eyes, and he actually activated his Sharingan, one comma and two commas, not symmetrical on the left and right.
But I have to say, it felt like Sasuke's aura changed.
"Then let you see the true power of the Sharingan!"
Sasuke got a bit carried away again, quickly rushed towards Natsuki, his punch aimed at Natsuki's head.
But Natsuki's figure suddenly flickered, his whole body suddenly disappeared, and the next second he appeared in front of and below Sasuke, kicking Sasuke's chin, sending Sasuke into the air.
Sasuke was shocked: "Why! I clearly saw your movements!"
Natsuki thoughtfully explained: "The Sharingan is indeed powerful, it can see my movements. But your body can't keep up, you're too slow!"
Saying that, he kicked twice more, sending Sasuke flying, as if recreating the scene from the school back then.